The Tire Rack mobile service installed new Yokohamas today at my house on the Audi

Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
11,833
Location
The Midwest
My wife ordered Yokohama Avid Ascend GT's for her Audi A4 quattro. She had the Tire Racks mobile install service called ASAP Tire do the install in our driveway. I was at work and didn't get to see the job being done.

She said the guy had a Ford Van and took an hour and 15 minutes to do the job.
The installer said the wheels aren't bent and the tires took little weight to balance. She did get a few text from 2 different area codes which she thought was odd. One was customer service asking her to rank her experience 1-5 and the other was from a different number with a link to asaptire's website wanting to know if you want to give a tip to the installer. I suggested she waits to drive it and makes sure the tires are balanced before leaving any tip. I cant comment on the tires yet. This is a much better experience than waiting to have tires installed somewhere and she actually saved a little money vs Discount Tire
 
how much was the mobil installer? the only one by me charges $215 installation for 4 normal 205/55r16 tires
the tires themselves would be $300 after rebate from tirerack.
 
Interesting. It seems mobile services are starting to become more popular, makes sense. I know NTB does mobile service but I rarely seem the NTB van driving around.

Around the DFW area there is a mobile brake repair company called NuBrakes and I see them all the time. Sure beats having to wait in a customer waiting area for hours, and/or arrange for alternative transportation while your vehicle is being serviced.
 
Long story short, but I was actually a very good mobile installer after spending tons of money. Only to find out it just doesn't work out well changing tires in winter weather. Only makes sense in southern climates, and countless other issues !
 
Where do you bring it back when you need rotation and balancing? What about the free 30 day test drive to make sure you like the tires. Seems like a gimmick to have them change tires in your driveway.
 
Where do you bring it back when you need rotation and balancing? What about the free 30 day test drive to make sure you like the tires. Seems like a gimmick to have them change tires in your driveway.
If you're a home caregiver, stuck on your home network doing a critical job work-from-home, stuck with distance-learning kids that would normally be in school and can't leave them alone, or drag them away from their online classes, or you don't feel like dragging them to a tire shop waiting room of questionable sanitization... sounds like more than just a gimmick to me.

I would expect it to cost more, but that's the way it is with such services.
 
It's hard to upsell a brake job or struts when you're in the field. Would you wait for a NAPA delivery in the customer's driveway?

There are economies of scale when you have a dozen bays, three meathead tire busters and one master mechanic.

And would the mobile installer find work every day, every season? It'd take around three of those $200 jobs every day to pay for the truck, tools, taxes and insurance. Fourth would be gravy.
 
It still sounds like a gimmick to me. If your business model as a tire dealer is based on servicing shut-ins who don’t have a spare moment to actually drive the cars they need the tires for, maybe those old tires will last until the weekend. Sure you can imagine the unicorn tears class of customers who can’t, ever, wait in a waiting room or drop their car off for service.
 
Someone tried for a while around here to operate a mobile oil change service that would visit local offices and change oil and filters and wiper blades in the company parking lots while the wage slaves are chained to their desks. They eventually went out of business. There was a local Valvoline place within a 5 minute drive where you can sit in your car and eat your lunch while the car is being serviced. No appointment necessary. There are many car dealers with the free courtesy shuttle to take you to/from the office. Or you could eat lunch in their heavily discounted cafe in the dealership and by the time you finish eating the car is ready.

Both of them were cheaper than the mobile oil change venture, even the dealership. Whereas the mobile oil change guys you had to schedule in advance because they only came a certain day of the week or every couple of weeks. Their visits became less frequent once the novelty wore off because they had to book enough customers in a day to amortize their fixed costs. That made their service inconvenient, because who wants to wait up to two weeks for an oil change?

There was another on-site outfit had a hand wash and detailing service. They are not as much as a commodity item like oil change or installing tires and they did a nice job, and were still around.
 
Do they offer roadforce balancing with their mobile mounting services?

I was wondering the same.

Also curious how careful they are jacking the vehicle up. What if you have a Euro vehicle with funny lift points?

Overall I kind of like the idea... Unless spin balancing tires on an intrinsically unbalanced surface (spring loaded vehicle suspension) is troublesome.
 
It still sounds like a gimmick to me. If your business model as a tire dealer is based on servicing shut-ins who don’t have a spare moment to actually drive the cars they need the tires for, maybe those old tires will last until the weekend. Sure you can imagine the unicorn tears class of customers who can’t, ever, wait in a waiting room or drop their car off for service.
Spare the hyperbole. My car sits in the driveway all day while I’m working if I can spare a pointless drive to the tire place + an Uber back home or having my wife drive me back why wouldn’t I? Time is valuable and this is a similar concept to click and pick at the grocery store or mobile pickup at chipotle. Why pecker around on the weekend in a place no one wants to be?

I’d buy into this for two reasons 1) I’m always in meetings pretty much all day and 2) because it seems like it would come without the usual shenanigans of the chain tire shop e.g. the usual upsales and the container of supposedly my dirty brake fluid (despite me bleeding my brake fluid annually). Also when has a mechanic/shop ever actually called you when your car is actually done at the tire shop? They always say they would and I’d bet 90% of the time they never call.
 
It still sounds like a gimmick to me. If your business model as a tire dealer is based on servicing shut-ins who don’t have a spare moment to actually drive the cars they need the tires for, maybe those old tires will last until the weekend. Sure you can imagine the unicorn tears class of customers who can’t, ever, wait in a waiting room or drop their car off for service.

Here you have to make an appointment with the shops and the chains will not let you wait inside - no matter the weather outside. In addition, with the way the world currently is, I don't have to go further out in public than my driveway.
 
Buddy of mine just had a TireRack mobile installer take care of a set he bought for his 06 Toyota Sequoia.
$25.00 per corner, soup to nuts including haul away. He was very satisfied and said the balancing was good. Very hard to beat.
I do my own tire installs, but would gladly pay twenty five bucks each at this point of my life.
BTW: He was in Denver metro area. (Unfortunately, they don't serve my area out in the country.)
 
Here you have to make an appointment with the shops and the chains will not let you wait inside - no matter the weather outside. In addition, with the way the world currently is, I don't have to go further out in public than my driveway.
Costco also allows you to make appointments and they have good appointments you show up at your time slot and you're pretty much done after an hour or so and you can shop inside if you want. They're basically $23 a tire installed, $20 for the installation and another $3 for the TPMS service. But yeah, I can see how it can be convenient if you're pressed for time.
 
I found a local traveling installer who came to my house. A few of the great benefits of his services are that

* he is also a TR Recommended Installer
* he lives near by but will travel anywhere in the county
* ONLY RFB tires on his mobile truck
* has stick-on or hammer-on weights
* uses airbag type lifts/jacks to lift your vehicle
* has silicone coated sockets to remove/install your lug nuts
* torques each lug by hand
* uses Snap-On or other high quality tools
* invites you to watch him do his work
* and what a great guy to talk to
The equipment on his truck and his tools are amazing and this is only his part-time gig. He's a CVS pharmacist by day.
Charges ~$30/tire installed? I called him just to come over to RFB($15/ea) my Pirelli P7's that my regular installer couldn't get right. Extra charge if he has to break the bead in order to spin the tire on the wheel to get it to RFB.

I introduced my buddies to him and they're all now using his service & love him.
 
Last edited:
Yes indeed!
Why would they turn down money?
One of my buddies bought his tires from DTD and the mobile installer came to his home...same installed price.

This mobile installer in my area is not only a TR recommended installer, you can ship to him as well and he'll bring the tires with him(obviously) when he arrives at your home or business. Talk or text him first for an appt and so he knows to expect your delivery.

This guy^^^ I am referring to(in my area) also works with local tire distributors and we can even purchase tires right through him if we'd prefer. He has made things very convient for his local customers.

He even contacted TR for me on his cell(while I was out for my test drive after the installation) as I had an "open claim" on my P7's as there was a tiny issue with the tire(s).

THIS GUY IS THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN OR HEARD OF...VERY, VERY PROFESSIONAL AND WORTH EVERY DOLLAR!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top